Fire at Franklin foundry presents difficult hurdle

Special chemical needed to douse fire at A&B Foundry.

An accidental fire at a local foundry caused challenges for firefighters because of the material that was burning, Franklin Fire Chief Jonathan Westendorf said.

He said firefighters from several area departments were on a “wait and hold” pattern Wednesday at a Franklin foundry until a special extinguisher agent could be delivered from the Sharonville Fire Department. Then, after the truck arrived, Westendorf said the fire at A&B Foundry Machining, 835 N. Main St., was under control.

He said the fire accidentally started during the casting process at the plant. He said the company was about to close for the holidays. He said there was no structural damage, so it was hard to estimate the dollar loss.

The fire was reported in the ceiling and the building at about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday and the building was evacuated, he said. There were no injuries, he said. Multiple fire units from Warren and Butler counties including Franklin, Middletown, Clearcreek Twp. and Carlisle responded to the foundry in Franklin.

Firefighters were dispatched about 10:40 a.m. and remained on scene for nearly three hours, he said. Units from Carlisle, Middletown, Clearcreek Twp. and Miami Twp. assisted Franklin, he said.

The fire involved metal scraps and shavings and aluminum, which can’t be extinguished with water, Westendorf said.

Westendorf said Sharonville has the only equipment in the area that has Purple-K, a dry-chemical fire suppression agent used in some dry chemical fire extinguishers.

When the truck arrived, Westendorf walked over and took a picture with his cell phone.

“You don’t see one of those every day,” he said.